Vanessa Hudgens/Instagram
Take it from Vanessa Hudgens: Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat!
The actress took a trip down memory lane over the weekend, visiting the real-life Salt Lake City school where the beloved High School Musical series was filmed. She shared a glimpse of her return on Instagram with a video featuring “Breaking Free,” a song featured in the 2006 TV movie.
Quoting a line her character Gabriella Montez said in the first film, Hudgens captioned the post: “Do you remember in kindergarten how you’d meet a kid and know nothing about them, then 10 seconds later you’re playing like you’re best friends because you didn’t have to be anything but yourself?”
Hudgens, 33, played Gabriella across three High School Musical films from 2006 to 2008. The first two movies aired on the Disney Channel while the third had a larger, theatrical release.
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Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman starred alongside Hudgens in the series.
Before the OG High School Musical film celebrated its milestone 15th anniversary last year, Hudgens said she can still “find joy” in hearing frequent references to the movie.
“It allows me to reminisce a bit and connect to my younger self,” she told ABS-CBN in 2020. “That project opened up so many doors for me and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Hudgens recently spoke about the Disney Channel original movie’s lasting legacy.
“The fact is kids are still watching it,” she told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. “Kids are still being introduced to it. I just saw ‘Gotta Go My Own Way’ is trending on TikTok.”
Hudgens added, “It never dies, thanks to you guys!”
